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Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east. At 165.2 million square kilometres (63.8 million square miles) in area, this largest division of the World Ocean – and, in turn, the hydrosphere – covers about 46% of the Earth's water surface and about one-third of its total surface area, making it larger than all of the Earth's land area combined. The equator subdivides it into the North Pacific Ocean and South Pacific Ocean, with two exceptions: the Galápagos and Gilbert Islands, while straddling the equator, are deemed wholly within the South Pacific. The Mariana Trench in the western North Pacific is the deepest point in the world, reaching a depth of 10,911 metres (35,797 ft) Pacific Ocean in The Case of the Toxic Spell Dump The Peaceful Ocean lay to the west of the Confederated Provinces of America. Pacific Ocean in Days of Infamy At the time of the outbreak of World War II, the Pacific Ocean was effectively divided up among the United Kingdom, France, the Soviet Union, the Netherlands, Japan and the United States. The ocean was very quiet as World War II raged across the globe, but storm clouds were brewing as Japan started becoming more aggressive within China. When the US imposed an oil embargo upon Japan in response to its actions in China, Japan opted to go to war with the U.S.. The Japanese understood that the US base at Hawaii would allow them to control nearly half the ocean. A bold and daring plan was hatched to not only destroy the US Pacific Fleet, but to conquer Hawaii, in order to extend their control across the entire Pacific. On December 7, 1941, Japan initiated the war with a strike at the islands that not only crippled the US Pacific Fleet, but allowed them to take control of the islands in three months. With the US Pacific Fleet in no position to fight, they were forced back to the American west coast, while Japan was able to extend its conquests across the entire Pacific. Within six months, Japan was able to spread south into the Pacific and South East Asia, defeating all of the European powers and taking their colonies and extending their empire from Hawaii, to Australia, and India, effectively bringing the entire ocean under their control. In late June of that year, the US attempted to regain control of the islands, but were defeated, forcing them back to the west coast once more. With no enemies left in the Pacific, the Japanese High Command attempted to hammer out a strategy, but were unable to agree on what to do. It was eventually decided to go on the defensive in the Pacific, wearing down the United States resolve until they quit the war. Unbeknownst to the Japanese, the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor along with the dual defeats at the hands of the Japanese, had hardened the Americans resolve to fight on. Japan soon discovered that holding it's conquest proved harder than taking it, as the US Navy began to slowly eat away at Japan's shipping lanes with their submarine fleet, before finally retaking Hawaii in mid 1943. Pacific Ocean in Southern Victory The Pacific Ocean was the largest ocean in the world. It was divided up among many European powers. The United Kingdom, France, Russia, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and the United States. Although the US had interests in the ocean, the loss of the War of Secession and the following Economic Crash of 1863 put a hold on any expansion into the Pacific. Having Pacific ports was the one major advantage the US had over the Confederate States, and they were more than aware of this. In 1881, the CSA attempted to rectify this problem by purchasing the provinces of Sonora and Chihuahua from the bankrupt Empire of Mexico. Realizing that this would give the Confederates access to the Pacific, the US threatened war should this sale go ahead. When the Second Mexican War was declared, the US was too weak in the Pacific to be much of a threat to anyone, let alone the Confederates. This allowed the British Pacific Squadron, based at Pearl Harbor in the Sandwich Islands, to not only defeat the US Pacific Squadron, but blockade the US West coast. After the war's conclusion, both the US and CS began building up their strength in the Pacific, but for the CS Navy, little effort was put into this as they relied more on the British. By the 20th Century, a new power had emerged in the Pacific. Japan had defeated Spain in the Hispano-Japanese War for its Pacific colonies, throwing them out of the ocean and creating their own empire. When the Great War began in 1914, the US Navy truly entered the Pacific by capturing the Sandwich Islands during the opening weeks of the war. With this success, the US Navy was able to take the offensive in the ocean against both the UK and the Japanese. However, for the rest of the war, the Pacific was only a series of cat-and-mouse actions with one major engagement, the Battle of the Three Navies, ending inconclusively in 1916. Despite holding Hawaii and keeping it, the US was never able to cut the Pacific life line to Canada, as both the English, Canadians, and Japanese were able to bottle up the Seattle Squadron of the US Navy. Later that same year, the South Pacific saw action as both the Chileans and the Argentinians clashed. When the fighting started turning in favour of Argentina, the US detached a small squadron and sent it south to aid their Chilean allies, and as 1917 began, the combined fleet then took the offensive into the South Atlantic. When the war came to an end, all Entente powers in the Pacific were devastated with the exception of the UK and Japan. In the economic crisis that followed the peace, Japan was able to secure control of Indochina from the French, and the Dutch East Indies from the Netherlands. However, the British Empire was still strong enough to contest Japan from taking their possessions, as the empire's position in Australia was still strong, while Russia was ignored. However, the major contesters in the Pacific were just Japan and the United States. Relations between both powers were strained until in 1932, war broke out between the two nations. In spite of the Japanese Navy attacking Los Angeles and a successful counter attack at Pearl Harbor, the war degenerated into a stalemate until 1934, when both sides agreed to end the war, resulting in the two powers returning to the status quo. As the world began to march towards war, it was feared that the Japanese could return in force, while the British Navy could operate submersibles out of Australia, cutting supply lines between the Sandwich Islands and the mainland. In 1941, the Second Great War began and the Pacific yet again became a battleground as Japan declared war on the US, decisively defeating the US Pacific Navy and taking Wake Island and Midway, putting the main Hawaiian Islands under air attack, while Japanese submarines prowled the US West Coast. However, the Japanese did not press home their advantage as they were heavily engaged in a war with China. This allowed the US Navy to rebuild in strength and in late 1942, strike at the Japanese guarding Midway, defeating them. With this loss, the Japan abandoned the war against the US to concentrate on the British Empire in Asia. Fighting a losing war in Europe, the British soon lost Malaya. The US Navy then concentrated on Mexico and the Confederate States, swinging south and occupying Baja California, cutting off the CSA from the Pacific. In 1944, Japan turned her sights on Russia, threatening war over Siberia. As the dust from the war settled, the US began to reorganize their priorities back to the Pacific as Japan emerged as the newest threat, having defeated all their old rivals. Pacific Ocean in The War That Came Early The Pacific was quiet when the Second World War erupted in Europe in 1938, but was still a powder keg ready to explode due to tensions between the Japanese, the Europeans and the US. In January of 1941, the Japanese opened the war in the Pacific after the US cut off oil supplies. Forced to make a grab for the Dutch East Indies, the Japanese proved virtually unstoppable, conquering a large swath of the Pacific, from Wake Island in the east, to Burma in the west and the Lesser Sunda Islands in the south. Pacific Ocean in Worldwar The Pacific Ocean was the largest ocean in the world. It was divided up among many powers. The United Kingdom, France, Russia, Netherlands, Japan and the United States. On December 7, 1941, Japan brought war to the ocean when it attacked the United States at Pearl Harbor, before striking south, pushing all the way to Australia and India, forcing all European powers out. As both the Japanese and the US prepared to strike at Midway, the Race landed, ending the war in the Pacific, although the Japanese were able to take Midway during the confusion. During the fight against the Race, the ocean was largely ignored by the Race until they realized that the human powers were using the oceans to ship vital supplies to each other. In retaliation for the atomic bomb that destroyed the Race held city of Miami, Fleetlord Atvar decided to bomb Pearl Harbor as he recognized its importance as a vital supply lane in the Pacific. During the peace that followed, the Pacific was divided up between Japan, the United States, and the Race. The Soviet Union had access to the ocean through the major port city of Vladivostok, but were largely ignored in this region. Free France, which had lost nearly all of its empire to Germany, the Race and Japan, found itself reduced to the South Pacific islands of French Polynesia, with their headquarters in Tahiti. Although the weakest power in the Pacific, Free France was left alone as all sides saw the region as Neutral Ground. The Japanese meanwhile had leaned more towards the United States, while US did not pursue the return of any of its lost possessions. The Race didn't even bother with the ocean, content to rule Asia, Australia and South America. In 1965, Japan at last detonated its own atomic bomb at the Bikini Atoll. With this achievement, Japan demanded and was granted full diplomatic relations with the Race, the same as were afforded the other major nuclear powers. As a result of this and retaining a large empire, Japan was able to re-emerge as a great power in the late 20th century within the Pacific. Category:Oceans Category:The Case of the Toxic Spell Dump Category:Days of Infamy Category:Southern Victory Category:The War That Came Early Category:Worldwar